Preferred Zelda Exploration World

[Random Person]

Sup peeps, Random Person here.

Shocked that I couldn't find a thread like this already, especially in the category called "World of Zelda." Whilst discussing Skyward Sword, one of the topics that came up was the type of exploration world. So I started wondering what type of world the people of Zelda Dungeon prefer. Not talking about overworld mind you, but the lands that the overworlds are connected to.

SS brought about a dungeon-esque (not a word) type world. The world heavily focused on puzzle solving in a dungeon type fashion while still pushing you forward toward the actual dungeon itself. While the puzzle solving aspect was enjoyable, this is not my preference. To me, this made the game feel more linear. In dungeons, you can't just do whatever you want. The process involves doing step one, then step two, then step three and so on and so forth. I felt that SS's world also went in this direction, and by doing so, took away from the "exploration" factor. I myself felt as though my freedom was rather limited because there was rarely some secret I found on my own. Most of SS felt like it was supposed to be found, with one or two caves that held heart pieces. There is also the problem of redundancy. When my world is like my dungeon, I feel as though I'm being repetitive. Rather than going through exploration, then a step by step process and getting the best of both worlds, I get to do a dungeon type environment, followed by another dungeon type environment. To me, though I know others feel differently, the step by step process should be left in the dungeons (and/or mini dungeons) and the world outside it should be left to explore.

There is also the worlds like Twilight Princess. TP propelled you forward through the land by using actions rather than puzzles (if that makes sense). Brief cutscenes, followed by either an action sequence, or a little time to explore your surroundings. This was rather fun and enjoyable for me. I enjoyed it much more than SS's world, but still not my world of choice. While TP's action was a great breath of fresh air, its puzzle solving was lacking. Everything was in your face and rather easy. Again, I really did enjoy this. There are also those who feel that TP was lacking small rewards. I'm not one of them, but it should still be taken into consideration.

Personally, I prefer the world of Ocarina of Time/Majora's Mask. Moreso Majora's Mask. OoT and MM contain the puzzle solving elements that SS has, but they aren't like dungeons. The reason being is because you don't have to do step two right after step one if you don't want to (most of the time). Generally you could go off on your own order. For example, once you get the Zora's Mask, you can choose to go to Zora Hall and collect information, or go straight to getting your hookshot at the Gerudo Fortress. And once you get the hookshot, you could either continue collecting eggs, or go find more secrets throughout the land of the ocean. This exploration factor to the world while still feeling like you have purposes to fulfill, gives me the sense of freedom SS lacked. OoT and MM also had it where if you waited to do certain things, it could make things more interesting with their passage of time. Also, the difficulty to those games felt more my level than SS's and TP's. The small unnecessary treasures were abundant and getting these treasures was usually the opposite a cakewalk. Particularly in MM, where the steps to getting masks were so complex.

All in all, the type of world I prefer is one where there is a good amount of puzzle solving, abundance of hidden perks that you don't have to get, and lots of freedom. I also prefer worlds that tell stories, but a good amount of Zelda worlds do this in my opinion so its not that big of a deal to mention as the other properties. TP's type of world was fine, but I just flat out didn't like how SS did it.

And because we all know my opinion is the final say, what types of worlds do you guys prefer? Please answer or I will feel inferior.

 

[JuicieJ]

I prefer the kind of world where there's a large, open hub that connects some areas that are more based on progression and puzzles. This is why I like MC and SS's overworld so much. They provided that exact thing. I do wish there had been a bit more to do in The Sky, but it was still fine for me.

 

[A Link In Time]

Random Person I have arrived to raise your self-esteem!

My favorite overworld is also of the type exhibited in Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask. Nintendo took a strong cue from A Link to the Past in the transition to the third dimension. Both were characterized by loads of optional content. This found exhibition in bombable walls, sidequests, and overworld collectibles. Fairy Fountains weren't a prerequisite but they were rewarding alcoves for the observant completionist. The same goes for masks, golden skulltulas, etc. These titles failed to manifest the same nonlinear gamelay progression as the NES original but offered the player choices in such areas as dungeon choices. Moreover, the worlds were very dynamic with full day cycles and alterations to the NPC environment depending on whether evil struck or was defeated.

With respect to Skyward Sword while progression was definitely more linear, there was still an overload of tasks to accomplish. Right from the start the player is confronted with difficult decisions. To head to the Skyview Temple or not to head to the Skyview Temple? Pumpkin Landing and Bamboo Island did seem exciting after all. Later in the game elements like Timeshift Stones added mystery and wonder to the overworld helping to spice things up. New perspectives were unlocked throughout by utilizing all of Link's arsenal but especially the beetle. While all three major ladmasses were revisted they always felt fresh. The first trek to Faron Woods focused on locating Bucha and the Kikwi whereas the next centered on Lake Floria.

 

[MW7]

Well it's not my preference that the overworld connects to lands at all, but rather I prefer that the various lands meld into the overworld as one solid region. This is common in the 2d Zeldas and is really only present in Wind Waker technically out of all the 3d games. Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask have sort of circular worlds with various lands branching out to the sides. Twilight Princess was a bunch of fields connected by paths with various lands branching out as well. Skyward Sword was a sort of circular sky leading to three main lands. Only Wind Waker allowed you to travel all over in all directions with everything connected in a sense. So I like more of a A Link to the Past exploration world in which the various geographic areas fit naturally within a world rather than are separate branches. Also there were secrets everywhere, and fewer restraints on the player.

One thing I prefer about OOT/MM highly over TP/SS is that areas are either open all the time to the player or are primarily reached once you obtain a certain item. In contrast TP and SS commonly don't let you reach an area until you complete the prior area. I like having the freedom to do things when I want to. For instance the Gerudo Fortress in Ocarina of Time can be completed pretty much whenever once you become an adult. The game designers even give you two intended methods of reaching the area- Epona or the longshot. In contrast my favorite example of frustration with pointless restraints in Skyward Sword is the fact that the game prevents you from entering the hot area leading to the Fire Sanctuary unless you have the Fireshield Earrings. The problem I see with this is that the guardian potion plus could have substituted in this situation. Skyward Sword definitely introduced some terrific gameplay elements to the series, but it also neglected exploration and freedom.

To me the dungeon-style overworld isn't the problem at all. It's just that the game designers have been throwing pointless restrictions at players at an increasing rate since the outset of the series. Also dungeon-style overworld to me implies that there will be puzzle solving elements- not that we're going to be strictly led through a land in a specific order. Dungeons don't have to be super linear and neither do dungeon-like overworlds. IMO Nintendo should have granted branching paths through the three provinces so that you aren't led through each area so neatly. Each path could have held different challenges, and you'd have to explore the different paths/parts of the world in order to find secrets that you otherwise would have bypassed.

 

[Night Owl]

I'd like to see worlds designed such that areas flow into each other smoothly without drastic changes in environment between areas.
They should be full of puzzles and goodies, yet be mostly optional. To feel that you are exploring the new area and not feel like someone is holding your hand.

I guess in essence I want a nice blend of what makes over-worlds great in each game.

 

[r2d93]

I HATED SS overworld. The puzzles were an interesting new way of progressing, but they became extremely tedious and linear as hell. Plus to make matters worse, the areas weren't even connected, and to get to the central hub you needed to find a statue and fly back to skyloft.

No Zelda overworld so far has been perfect IMO. To me, the ones that have come closest were ALttP, TP, and TMC.

ALttP had a fantastic overworld. It was large, free, contained puzzles, but also vast exploration. I loved how from an early point in the game you could explore the whole world once you had certain items. The only flaw I think this overworld has is that there wasn't a good central hub. There was Links house and/or Hyrule castle, but neither were interesting at all to go to

TP also had a stellar overworld. It was massive and gave a great sense of open epicness (plus great scenery) while riding through. I thought that TP's overworld was great and had many secrets to discover. The only flaw I could find is that it's so big and open, it actually deters players from exploring. Therefore, people says it's boring.

TMC also had a great overworld. The central hub was there (a great one at that), there were puzzles, and there was tons of exploration/secrets. TMC's overworld honestly had it all, also with possibly the most well balanced field enemies to date. The only flaw - it was a bit too small. :/

 

[Ventus]

I prefer the overworld of Ocarina of Time/Majora's Mask for reasons Random Person already stated in his opening post, and also I want to echo what MW7 said: I like the freedom of being able to do things when I want to. The game world shouldn't open up to me after certain scripted events that can only occur in this one specific order. No, that leads to boring secondary, tertiary, etc playthroughs. Rather, I should be able to do things when I want to and, dare I say, how I want to. OoT/MM gives me that beautiful choice. There's always things to explore because nothing is "in your face" obvious or, as Random Person mentioned, really 'meant' to be found on your first run through the area. Future Zeldas should definitely make use of this type of exploration within the overworld.

It isn't that Skyward Sword's was bad, it's just that I got bored after the first run because there just wasn't anything left to "explore" -- I knew the locations of everything during my first run because the 'secrets' were made to be found a bit too easily. Twilight Princess' was more in line with OoT/MM's type of overworld, but to me the rewards were a bit lacking, and again as Random Person mentioned, the puzzle solving was a bit on the easy side.

 

[Spirit]

I'll agree with RP, that SS's overworld did bore me. A dungeon-esque overworld sounded exciting but i was worried from the start. If the overworld was dungeon-esque then surely the dungeons would need to be refined but they weren't. Instead, at least the first two dungeons, were very short and the only difference really was that your surroundings had changed; you'd gone from being outside to inside, and even in later dungeons like the Fire Sanctuary that was barely true since at some points throughout that dungeon it didnt have a ceiling and even had a warp point in and out of it... A lot of fans had been commenting that once an item is used to defeat a dungeon in a Zelda game its then never used again or at least very rarely if at all throughout the overworld; i think SS showed the reasons why that had been true for so long; using items so often negated their appeal, swinging on the whip in a dungeon does not differ from swinging outside, there is no weather the blow you off course or any hindrances that impede your use of it or other items in the overworld, and if it was the case of having to use items so often, then elements should have been put in place to at least make them feel different in different places. Granted the whip did more than one thing, stealing items, pulling levers etc, but it did those things constantly and again pulling a switch inside a dungeon is not different from outside of one. As a whole this made SS feel very boring very quickly and made the overworld seem like an assault course, the dungeons only really differed because the puzzles were dictated to certain rooms and you needed keys to open doors and that really was it.

In other games like TP, the items were wonderfully crafted to the dungeons they were found in and to be used for, whereas again, SS just repeated a lot of the same puzzles and by the end of the game i was selecting items and knocking down puzzles without a second thought...

So in this respect i much prefer TP's overworld, yes, you didn't need to use the items gained in dungeons outside in the overworld but you still could. Have you ever hopped on the spinner and played Bulblin bowling out in the field? its fun! As is throwing the ball and chain at the riders... Overworlds and Zelda dungeons need to feel separate from each other to keep the game feeling fresh, TP again does this quite well with its unconnected-yet connected fields much like MW7 said, Where one field is full of aggressive riding enemies, another has the gorge and the mountain trail and another has a relatively low enemy presence, and this makes the overworld feel rather varied which is something that no other Zelda has really done. A lot of people also think that exploration is to find things, and it can be, but with games like Twilight Princess, where the world was so beautiful and bathed in light creating haunting ethereal auras at different places exploration can be just as much a visual thing than it can be with item discovery, in a sense in a game like TP and even WW discovery can be a completely visual thing and that can be so much more enriching than finding a cave with a heart-piece.

However, my favourite overworld is the Wind Waker, and again, taking into account what RPs opening post stated, i dont prefer WW for the great ocean, (even though i do love it), but i prefer it because of the freedom (ah that linearity thing again!) and even though i completed WW with very little of my map filled in and completed the game with barely a second line of hearts, i still enjoyed being able to tackle islands whenever i wanted to find treasures and heart-pieces and items. the best thing about WW's islands is that they were able to be so varied and coupled with the sense of discovery (a feature almost unique to WW) the excitement was really ramped up when you came across a new island, for example the Angular Isles was wonderful and was much more than pushing blocks, it had a higher level and a lower level and enemies to fight and was one of the most unique islands of WW without looking out of place or feeling forced in. Chu-Chu isle was another wonderful discovery to make and again, you didn't have to tackle it if you didn't want to, you didn't have to do anything that you didnt want to in WW, it really was a free game to play, yes there was linearity but at the same time there was time and choice, and WWs overworld and islands, to me, are the greatest example of a near perfect overworld in Zelda to explore and above all, discover.

 

[Ronin]

The biggest things I look for in an overworld are a huge, sweeping expanse which I can explore almost without restriction—for the majority of the game at least—and a reliable method that can get around quickly. Additionally I prefer surprises to be scattered all over the areas; whether it has enemies in that zone, or is broken off from enemy terrain. The surprises can include holes to fall into where a bunch of adversaries lie in wait, or a treasure chest which takes an item to reach it, generally. It's best when the world is huge, though, and you honestly are not sure what to do next. Should Link continue with his quest, or take a little detour on the way there?

Majora's Mask I think pulled off that last respect with it's 3-Day system. Each time you went back to the Dawn of the First Day it made you explore Termina Field in order to restock. For many people it might have been considered annoying, but I personally enjoyed and wasn't bothered by the condition of running around the field's circumference a few dozen times. At least then it had the next required section of your quest fairly nearby the outer hub of Clock Town. You could either get there by foot, by riding Epona, or by warping to an Owl Statue in that area. But needing to replenish in order to have a suitable accumulation of depleteable gear encouraged exploration before and preplanning for the upcoming errand, which is great in my mind.

Unlike Majora's Mask, its prequel, Ocarina of Time, differed greatly because it gave you a little content at a time. And the more you progressed in the game the more activities would be opened to you. Needless to say OoT has a much bigger land than Termina, but it was about even in content by my reckoning, and therefore equal drive to explore for treasures or collectible items. Albeit, despite it being the first 3D Zelda, it still felt empty in some immersive aspects, to me. Whereas Ocarina of Time set up the foundations for this series' formula in a realistic world, the other games have continually built upon it and expanded to features which mostly exceed it.

I have to agree with others Skyward Sword's dungeon-esque overworld was not the best. I relished tackling the puzzles and taking on the various enemies, but bringing the dungeon out of the Dungeon and blending it with the overworld did not hold my interest much as the others (subjectively, JJ). As far as immersion goes, SS definitely was at its peak due to the Wii Motion+. Using action-based controls on this type of overworld is an ingenious way to stimulate exploration because it nudges the curiosity of the player and makes them want to explore the next region. My only beef with the overworld that it was designed like a Dungeon/Temple. That removed my anticipation of going through Skyward's Dungeons progressively, somehow.

Overall, however, I give Twilight Princess the most props for pulling me out of the primary adventure in a non-mandatory way. It had the biggest overworld by far in terms of its vastness, yet was also easy to get around, even without use of Midna's warp system. Its terrain consisted of huge rolling hills and a beautiful verdant environment. This seemed to beg me to explore it, and I succumbed to that beckoning numerous times throughout the duration of that journey. I love how this version of Hyrule was connected by a network of fields. They distributed an ample opportunity to do nothing but ride around and take down the various foes while astride Epona. That's the ultimate feeling of freedom for me, and it does not limit the sentiment with prohibitions for the most part. I oftentimes find myself on the field where King Bulbin had kidnapped Colin, except I fight the remnants of his marauding pack instead of him.

Finally, my least favorite overworld—judging by the 3D titles—is the Great Sea in Wind Waker. It does the opposite of TP's transportation method and turns out to be frustrating because you do nothing but sail for half the game. The contrast lies in just sitting there with no mode of speeding up the journey to a certain island and having to put up with the monotony that comes from it... Other than Cyclos' tornado warps, but I'm discounting that because it places you near the desired target, and oftentimes not right at it. The Great Sea theme is the one thing that broke the tedium and I alleviated my restlessness by listening to it. Nevertheless I was thrilled by the variety which the islands presented; they had tons of perks to watch out for. Windfall Island, for example, was packed with so much content that it pretty much became the place I'd hang out at. To this day I am still enthralled by the cheery atmosphere of it, and thus I consider it to be [one of] the most vivacious towns in Zelda.

 

[Terminus]

The top spot goes to both MM's Termina Field and TP's Hyrule field. While Termina field had nice density, It was a bit small. Hyrule field was a LOT bigger and had more in it. I actually can and do spend hours searching for puzzles.

 

[Schizo]

I created a thread that proposes the idea of multiple kingdoms outside of Hyrule to travel to in a game, if you want to take a look at what I have to say. As for my preferred world currently, TP provides some frustrating moments at points because, to get Epona around, you need to find some grass for speedier travel and the Bridge of Eldin is zapped away once you cross it until you find it again. A minor, but I understand the reason, gripe with the TP map is Hyrule Town has only 3 entrances. In terms of size, WW feels like it had the biggest map. It could be the painstaking amount of time it takes to sail from place to place but it just seems like there is way too much water around.